Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has raised concerns about the possible incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the electoral processes in the country.
Kalonzo spoke on Tuesday, December 3, at a multi-sectoral forum on the use of artificial intelligence in elections where he welcomed the use of the technology to hasten the electoral process. He, however, also sounded a warning about potential malpractice through AI.
"AI is at once an opportunity and a challenge. Used well, AI can make the electoral processes faster, more secure, and more scientifically verifiable and acceptable by all parties," Kalonzo observed.
"But AI also poses serious challenges. Badly used, AI-generated content and material have been found to close the gap between what is real and what is fake. Together with all the advantages, AI has also opened up the world to fakery and quackery. We are said to be living in the Post-Truth Age. When the ingredients of this age are infused into electoral processes, they can only spell distaste."
The Wiper Party leader, who has made public his presidential ambitions ahead of the 2027 polls, further noted that there was a need to leverage technology to boost the credibility of elections in the country, after contentious results in Kenya's last three general polls.
In addition, Kalonzo, who is arguably the harshest critic of the Kenya Kwanza government, subtly lamented on the delays in the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), two years before the general elections.
While terming it as a matter of national urgency, the former Vice President said, “The reconstitution of the IEBC should not be delayed any further. This is critical for the country’s democratic integrity."
His sentiments were backed by U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires David Gosney, who observed that the country's democracy was at risk with the lack of a proper electoral body.
Among the government officials who attended the event included ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo, who backed the government's commitment to adopt solutions to enhance efficiencies of the Kenyan electoral process.
Owalo, however, did not directly reference the IEBC and why a new electoral body was yet to be constituted.
Dig deeper: A panel of nine had been constituted to come up with suitable candidates to fill the IEBC positions left vacant over firing and resignations. Due to ongoing legal battles, the process has stalled further.
Meanwhile, delays in the reconstruction of the commission have left several regions in limbo as they are yet to get full leadership as stipulated in the constitution.
